Coworkers believe they were last to see man found dead on side of I-75

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — Mack Griggs was just 24, but he left a lasting impact to the people who saw him the most: his coworkers.

"It's such a big loss, he was one of the best employees we've ever had," his manager at a Midtown Mexican restaurant told Channel 2's Nicole Carr.

They believe they were some of the last people to see him.

Griggs lived in Midtown and worked as a server at La Parilla restaurant. By all accounts, he was dependable and popular with co-workers, friends and family. They all told Carr they are devastated by his sudden, mysterious death.

His body was discovered Wednesday along I-75 in Bartow County.

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“It’s hard to like, let this fit in my mind. My mind still cannot accept what is really going,” said coworker Kevin Zaldivar.

Griggs had worked at the midtown restaurant since 2015. Most co-workers saw him Tuesday. He was excited about a pending promotion to bartending.

“He didn’t show up to work,” said general manager Mariana Costa. “Somebody called to see if we knew anything about him. We said, ‘No, we don’t,’ we just knew that he missed work.”

On Saturday night, Zaldivar and Griggs grabbed a pizza after work. He said they had a heart-to-heart about Jesus Christ.

“He told me this Friday, ‘I'm going to try to come to your service.’ I said, 'Yes, let's try it.' And then Tuesday came and that's when stuff start happening. I got a text that he disappeared,” Zalidvar said.

Mother Sherry Griggs told Carr he was supposed to visit a friend with a co-worker's cousin and another man he didn't know. But he never arrived.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation, and Carr is told so far homicide has not been ruled out as a cause of death.

Cox Media Group